In a deadtree book I'm reading, it describes a fence with "barbed wire and Lazor Wire on top" - and I don't find a reference to "Lazor Wire" with a search. Anybody heard of it?
In a deadtree book I'm reading, it describes a fence with "barbed wire and Lazor Wire on top" - and I don't find a reference to "Lazor Wire" with a search. Anybody heard of it?
Unless it's from a science fiction story, it's probably a typo (yes, those happen in dead tree books too).
It should probably be razor wire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbed_tape
Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans. The term "razor wire", through long usage, has generally been used to describe barbed tape products. Razor wire is much sharper than the standard barbed wire; it is named after its appearance but is not razor sharp. The points are very sharp and made to rip and snag clothing and flesh.
I've heard of laser trip wires (think security) and I've read some DARPA calls for design of laser 'wire' to replace razor wire. The premise of the latter is to kill anyone trying to scale a barrier with high powered lasers. I can't speak for how plausible that is. The former trip wire version is old tech now.
That kind of laser wire, as a replacement for razor wire, is not plausible with current tech.
The power needed to maintain a continuous beam at a power level that would cause serious damage to flesh with only seconds of contact would be enormous, not practical for anything other than a permanent installation.
Then you come to the problem of how you enclose a space with such a laser fence.
If you put posts at each of the corners with emitters, at the kind of power level required, the beams incoming to each corner would eventually burn through the post with the next set of emitters.
If you use mirrors to bend a single set of beams around the space to be enclosed, the posts with the mirrors are necessarily outside the protection of the laser fence and become a point vulnerable to attack. Take out the first mirror post and the fence becomes only a wall on one side, easily bypassed.
That kind of laser wire, as a replacement for razor wire, is not plausible with current tech.
I didn't say it was. It was however, a subject DARPA put out a call for research on. Then again, some of the research calls they make are way out in left field. Every now and then, they bear fruit regardless.
ETA:
You can get an idea what they look for here.
https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities
One could combine a laser trip wire with a 4 megawatt millisecond laser pulse. This 4000 Joules is about the same energy as a 7.62 NATO round.
I see many problems in deploying such a unit. Given that commercial high power products top out in the 200mJ pulse range one would likely need a military source. When to trigger would be an issue. It would be nice to use the same laser in sub micro Joule range for triggering but then a butterfly triggering the unit would send nearly full power into the detector. Recharge time of two seconds would work for anti personal use. But ten pulses in twenty seconds would likely require several minutes of cool down.
Learned in the process of writing this:
One Joule = one watt-second (I already knew it was a unit of power.)
There is a list of energy-in-the-projectile for multiple firearms.
The military industrial complex is developing lasers for both defense and offensive use.
Relatively low-power laser devices have been developed for riot control.
Laser trip wires don't work out very well in open environments. Fog, rain, snow, etc all interfere with them. Indoor environments are their best use.
Regarding a laser that can kill, that's long been solved. It just can't continously operate as the required capacitors for them have to charge between shots.
Regarding a laser that can kill, that's long been solved.
The laser that I have and use for my woodworking could kill you, it'd just take a while.
Anything that can cut through 1/2" oak - even if it's very slowly - can kill someone if misused. The controlling software actually has two settings - Raster and Vector. Raster, I'm doing engraving. Vector, I'm cutting. I have no desire to find out the hard way how quickly it could cut my finger (or hand) off.
Now, a one shot, one kill - which is a 7.62 round vs a Barbie gun round - that's a punch. I think that's why in a lot of military science fiction, they utilize tri-barrel or Gatling style weapons, due to real life recharge rates.
I think that's why in a lot of military science fiction, they utilize tri-barrel or Gatling style weapons, due to real life recharge rates.
Actually, I'd say the reason is the same that multi-barrel machine guns are used in the real world.
It's not a power/recharge rate issue, it's a heat build up / cooling issue.
In the real world, single barrel machine guns, even light machine guns will build up enough heat under continuous fire to heat the barrel to the point that it glows.
You can't quite get to melting the barrel because the barrel will soften enough that it's shape will distort under the pressure of firing and the gun will blow up in your face before you get that far.
It's part of why machine gun crews are taught to use short controlled bursts rather than continuous fire.
It's not a power/recharge rate issue, it's a heat build up / cooling issue.
A true statement. Materials Science is behind the curve on this subject. The theoretical designs are proven, getting the materials that won't melt during or after a shot with them, has yet to happen.
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/directed-energy/laser-weapon-systems.html
Another problem comes:
I know it's there. So, I put a mirror up which shines the laser into the sky. I cross in the mirror's shade.
So, I put a mirror up which shines the laser into the sky. I cross in the mirror's shade
And here's the next problem:
If the laser power is 'one shot - one kill', how would that affect the mirror? AFAIK, there is no mirror with a 100% reflection, so some of the energy will heat-up the mirror and eventually burn through.
How fast this will happen depends on the energy and length of the laser burst and the materials used for the mirror.
HM.
If the laser power is 'one shot - one kill', how would that affect the mirror?
Chances are, there's a hole in the mirror, because of the heat transfer to the glass BEFORE it hits the silvering. Polished (that's a soft 'o', grinning dick, not metal from Poland) metal will become religious as well. Holy ... :)